Plenty of times we try to cut corners and enter the realm only the rich or lucky get into. No one takes the easy road, the results are usually frivolous and shallow ... except in this case! You see, for the low price of these headphones, you finally get a taste of true audio extravagance.

The Denon AH-D2000s are some of the most refined headphones I've ever come across that don't cost an arm and a leg. There's something about the sound and build that just screams quality. It doesn't matter what you're playing either. It can easily be enjoyable playing hip-hop and electronic as it is playing rock and jazz.

I'm kind of a late bloomer when it comes to these headphones. I only heard about them recently and I wish I would've known about them before. I'm playing song after song on my playlist and rediscovering music as I haven't heard before. It could be the lead singer taking a deep breath before singing a verse or even the hum of bass guitar as the bassist gets ready to play, these headphones can be chalked up as a revealing delight. Now, I don't want you to think this is an analytical or neutral sounding set of headphones. You'll hear unheard details, but then you'll be thrown into the nice impact of the bass making it more of a musical (or fun) sound.

Now the design is one of my favorites. Aesthetically it draws my friends like moths sittings amongst my collection. They feel comfy on your head and the construction is sturdy and solid. It sits on my head nicely while the cushions rest perfectly around your ears (and my ears are big!).

Amping these things are a bit touchy, and by that I mean you may not get the "full picture" if you don't use a proper amp. I purchased a nice, yet inexpensive, headphone amp and they sound great. But I was a bit disappointed that they didn't run well straight out of the headphone input of my iPod and laptop. They ran a bit better from my audio video receiver but it lacked all those nice details and bass my headphone amp provided. The good news is you don't have to spend a lot to get good sound. It just has to be better than your average headphone output, that's all. Most portable amps or small desktop amps should be sufficient. If you want recommendations, email me.

When all is said and done, I can't seem to take these off my head. I rarely use my powered speakers anymore (I can't buy a subwoofer because of the neighbors) and my other headphones are starting to collect dust.

The only real drawback I can think of to these headphones is some people might not like the sparkly highs mixed with the thumping bass. It might seem like too much of a contrast with not enough midrange in between, but to me it's sweet gravy and needs to be heard before judging. These headphones are meant to be fun and engaging rather than neutral and analytical.

Another minor complaint is I feel the headphone wire could've been a bit better. It's stiff and prone to tangling. But even with these small drawbacks, I wouldn't hesitate pulling out the old plastic for a pair. It's not just me either, they have a nice following among audio enthusiasts. Buy a nice amp and perhaps check out the aftermarket support for them (I replaced the stock pads with beefier pads).

UPDATE:

Now that I'm on my 2nd year of owning them, I figured it's time to talk about why I have hard time finding a replacement.

Here we go:

A) Comfort: With the J$ pads, it feels like two comfy pillows placed right on ears.

B) Bass: Love the Bass on these. With most systems it gave me that nice low bass and no distortion.

C) Highs are unbelievable. The amount detail these drivers push out is to say the least fantastic.

D) Lightweight.

Take the lightweight, comfortable ear pads, and good bass and fantastic highs. Yes, the mids are recessed a bit but the right amp and pad replacement can help on that a bit.

I now run these cans through a DACmini Dac/Mini combo. While the bass isn't as prominent as it used to be with my old hybrid amp, it is now presented as it was intended. If it's heavy in a song, It'll be heavy in the song, vice versa. Just as it was intended. The decay is wonderful and natural. I know the amp has played a big part in why it turned out way it is, but it just going to show how much these headphones scale with better equipment.

I'll go ahead a futuristic proclamation:

The D #000 line will be regarded as a classic headphone and if it get's a new model, it'll still be sought out afterwards. If they discontinue it without new models, people will start buying then on eBay until Denon decides to bring it back.

If you haven't figured it out yet, go buy a pair of these headphones. Get a good Dac/Amp Tubes=warm and bassy, but lack of micro details. Solid state = less bass, analytical, transparent (bass, piano, etc. sound as they are supposed to sound.

I have owned these cans for a few months I am reviewing them in the context of them being a 200-300 can. so im not comparing them to HD800's or Beyer T1 b/c they are not in that league and are not expected to be.

I am an ametuer reviewer, so please keep that in mind

I should be clear when i say actually like these cans, because much of my review may sound to the contrary

In brief - these cans are laid back and smoothe. quite imbalanced without an EQ but capable of great things with a little patience and an EQ

In fact i will say that for the money these are some of the better cans you can get Sure there are lots of other cans in the $200-$300 price range that sound just as good, but at that point it comes down to preference, and we'll visit that later

The major issue with these cans is that they require an eq. Without one, i am not exaggerating when i say they are hard to listen to.

I play a sine wave through all my headphones to find where they are imbalanced and eq appropriately. These took some serious work to flatten, but it was worth it!

they have huge frequency imbalances , which seems to be a universal experience with these cans.

Here is how I have to eq these cans to get them to sound "flat" across all frequencies

Imagine all those valleys as peaks, and vice versa, and you can see how they would scream in your ears without an eq

The reason i am so fond of these cans is that they are CAPABLE of sounding great.

Thats really what seperates average phones from audiophile quality. Sure each phone has its peaks and valleys, but the best ones are capable of handling much more than their stock sound whereas cheap cans or buds simply cant produce no matter what you throw at them

So for the sake of the rest of the review, lets assume we have properly flattened the sound.

since you will probably use them at home anyway.

BASS: 8.5/10 bass to me is almost purely a preference game. No two people like their bass the same, and no two will call a "flatly" eq'd sound the same when it comes to how the bass "should" sound.

these cans are commonly known for their more than ample bass. it should be made clear though, that quantity and quality are two different categories. in this case, these cans have some of both. though the bass is not totally clean, as it does get slightly muddy at times, the bottom line for me is this - Yes these cans have a bit more bass than some people prefer, but the great thing is you can simply eq some of it out and you lose nothing. The sound quality only improves. and for those, like myself who occasionally like to rattle their eyes, its there when you need it. The frequency extension is really good. i can hear 20hz on the hi-fi heartbeat track no problem. I have tried other cans that didnt have ample volume at frequencies below 50hz like these have, and i missed it sorely.

Mids 9/10 - I feel the mids on these cans is about laid back, and im pretty sure most people agree. This means that the mids are sort of in the background compared to the rest of the frequencies. I like this though and i feel they just sound great, no matter what i throw at them. I especially like how they sound with jazzy, vocal, or acoustic tracks.

Highs 9/10

Again, when eq'd properly, do very well. Everything is in its place and nothing gets mushy or tinny.

However, without an eq.. well... ouch!

Soundstage: 9/10 this one is tough for me to describe. I remeber upgrading from some sennheiser hd555's and being blown at the difference in how expanded and immersed i felt with the D2000 in comparison. thats the best i can do

Build...10/10 this one is easy.. these things are SOLID. Very well built from cup to headband cord and everything in between. The cord is a bit unruly though. While i do believe it could stop a bullet ;-) it is too stiff.

Comfort: 10/10 another easy one, very comfy. i often forget to take them off and wear them for hours with absolutely no discomfort.... really.

Fit: 8/10 they dont fit very tight, again this seems to be a universal sentiment, but for me this did not cause an issue except that they offer very little isolation. If isolation is important, these cans are not for you. I should also note that i have a small head.

Overall Sound: 10/10 I feel these cans have a way of adapting to my musical needs. I listen to a very wide range of music from metal to jazz to acoustic to hip hop with pounding bass, to classical to eastern, to meditation music. I dont feel they really fall short in any category, though they do better with smoothe laid back music than they do with hard precise or powerful music. They are just a great all around listening experience in their class.

Portability. none. Not meant for portability. These cans are not a good option for portability. The cord is too long and too thick, they dont isolate, they are pretty bulky and if you turn your head too fast they will probably fall off.

I would highly recommend these cans for someone who is just stepping into their audiophile shoes, and beyond. If you are willing to put in a little work and break out the EQ you will be very happy

to summarize again. a pretty capable laid back smoothe sounding headphone with ample bass, nice sound stage, and a generally Fun and Forgiving sound signature. Use and EQ and you wont be dissapointed.

If you are anti EQ however, i just cant recommend these cans - they will not be a pleasant experience

without an eq i could not listen to these cans for more than 10 minutes.. it just hurt.. with a flat eq, i felt like i could keep them on forever...

I have been looking for a headphone that mates well with my Grace m903 which tends to sound a tad bright. My HD-650's just did not cut it. I tried a pile of expensive headphones and the only one that I thought sounded amazing was a pair of LCD-2's. Being outside of my price range I searched for something as close to that sound as possible. After listening to many headphones I settled on the AHD-2000 for two main reasons:

1.) An employee at headroom has two pairs of them. One for work and one for home.

2.) The AHD-2000 sounded as close to the LCD-2 as any other headphone.

Once I received them and plugged them into my m903 I realized what a synergy they created.

Build: Amazing, light, and high-quality ear pads

Bass: One of the best bass ranges I have heard period. Better than HD-650, HD-800, ATH-M50, as well as T5 and T1.

Mids: Excellent and well balanced. Nothing was missing or out of place

Highs: Not bright at all and the cymbals as well as bells are amazing

Cord: As Dave Rat noticed when he received his pair: "one of the best headphone cords I have ever seen" and I certainly agree. The cord is braided and thick enough to survive wear and tear, but not too thick to hinder its manipulation and placement.

Impedance: 25 Ohm so every amp out there can drive them whether that are constant current or constant voltage. This is a very flat impedance vs frequency so no region of the audible spectrum is dampened. This is the primary problem with the HD-650.

Sensitivity: 106dB which allows you to listen at moderate levels and not feel as though you have to turn up your amp just to get the sound you want.

I love my D2000! For the 300 dollar price point that these sell at, it's hard to find a better choice. Their sub bass is powerful and it adds a very fun bottom end to EDM music. Good bass is very hard to find in a headphone, but the D2000 really excels in this area.

In addition, they present music in a large but natural soundstage.

They are detailed and perform exceptionally well un-amped! This is a crucial point! If you do not have a separate DAC/AMP unit, these still sound great. I love playing them straight out of my macbook, with itunes or watching youtube with them, although I own equipment I can use to make them even better.

One nice upgrade is the Alpha pads, they bring comfort to a maximum, improve the soundstage, and overall just work very well with the D2000.

A few cons. The cord is rather long and annoying. The highs are can be harsh at louder volumes. If you listen at low-medium levels, they should not become TOO problematic unless you are particularly sensitive to treble.

Again, my review probably doesn't add much to the available reviews, but I have to say these are great headphones for the price that very well deserve the praise that they get here on Head-fi.

The Denon D2/5/7000 line of headphones are quite legendary. Many considering them to be some of, if not the, best full sized sealed headphones to be produced. Their discontinuing was, understandably, much mourned with many feeling that there were few truly great sealed headphone options available. I was quite happy with my HFI-2400, but was after the next level in my desktop headphones. I was lucky enough to stumble across some D2000s in the trade forum for $300, and in good as new condition (and in my own country!). I grabbed them and eagerly awaited my arrival of this well renowned headgear.

Hands on

Right off the bat, it's quite clear that these are for headphone lovers. They're stupendously elegant and so mature in their design, it's such a breath of fresh air in comparison to the shouty aesthetic design of so many consumer headphones. These things really are super handsome. They're clean, neat, understated and dripping with class and maturity. They're like a 35 year old businessman amongst a gang of 16 year old skaters; you can't help but take it more seriously than the competition.

Not only does the visual presentation of the headphone lend itself to a feeling of quality, but so do the materials and quality of construction. The metal (I'm unsure as to whether it's aluminium or magnesium) of the cup ring, yolk and gimbles are thick, sturdy and cold to the touch, with a really attractive sparkly chrome finish. The cups themselves are plastic, but sturdy and of good quality, once again with a very good finish. The earpads and headband are wrapped in a high quality pleather (probably the nicest faux leather I've yet encountered) which is very soft to the touch. The cable is an especially nice surprise. It's 3 metres long, and sleeved all the way to the metal jack (with chrome finish) which terminates in a 3.5mm jack with a screw on 6.35mm adaptor. The cable is fixed dual entry, and has a sturdy but elegant little Denon branded splitter.

I love the build and looks of this headphone. It's premium class all the way.

Performance

This is where things get very impressive. In short, these are the best performing headphones I've yet owned (which makes sense, they're also the most expensive) but they blow away the open back and similarly costing (RRP) HFI 2400. They're just fantastic.

The bass performance is the D2000's call to fame, and I must say it is pretty damn good, but it's not perfect. The bass levels on on the warm side of neutral, but not dramatically so. I wouldn't call these basshead headphones, or even bassy; just mildly warm. Bass reach is excellent and sounds quite flat to a very low level before rolling off right at the bottom. Quality wise it's very good, but a little flawed. It's very controlled, and actually has somewhat of a polite placement. It's not uncommon for warm and bassy headphones to place the bass right on your lap or in your face. The Denons place them far more naturally in the mix, they play ball equally with the rest of the spectrum. I think this is beneficial, however those wanting high levels of bass prominence and ultimate authority will note this and may find it takes away from the bass experience they are after. The bass is well textured and detailed, however it does have a somewhat loose sound to it. I don't want to overstate it, and it's not what most people would think of when they think of loose bass. In the grand scheme of things (compared to more commonly seen consumer phones) it's actually tight, but I think compared to most audiophile grade cans, it just lacks a slight bit of tautness or focus. It's hard to explain. Nonetheless, the bass response is very, very good and actually quite natural sounding.

The midrange was actually the first thing that struck me about the Denons, coming from the HFI2400. The very first thing that made me go wow was that the mids were noticeably clearer, more forward and more focused than on the Ultrasone. It genuinely made the HFI2400 sound quite recessed and muddled by comparison. The Denon is one of those headphones where you're not forced to choose between great bass and great midrange, you are receiving both. Maybe this will make me somewhat outspoken on these headphones, but I've seen people describe the Denons midrange as being recessed, but honestly I just don't hear it. The resolution and clarity, and just the sense of coherency, are very pleasing to my ears. I really take pleasure in that you can have a phat bassline pumping away whilst maintaining this level of midrange performance. Hell to the yes! Good resolution and detail, with no lack of presence to my ears earns a big thumbs up from me.

The treble is similarly well behaved, thankfully. Treble is where things seem to most easily go wrong with headphones in the sound department for me, but luckily that is not the case here. The Denon is known for having a slight tendency to be a tiny tad on the bright side, and I would agree with that. That said, I have absolutely no issues with the treble being too bright, piercing, sibilant or fatiguing. It's just fine! This was the one area where I did notice that the Denon lost out a little bit compared to the HFI2400. Being a sealed headphone (or you could debate it was 'semi-sealed' in the Denon's case) the treble to didn't have quite the sparkly, airy and extra extended properties that are more typically found with open headphones, the HFI2400 being one of those. However, the treble was still of very high quality, and it's far more even than the stupidly uneven treble of the HFI2400, which really is a roller-coaster affair in the treble. Despite the quality being that 15% less than the typical open treble performance at this price range, it's not at all a slouch with it's crystal clear, extended response. It's the best treble I've heard from a closed headphone.

Imaging and soundstage is another area where I would give the edge to the Ultrasone, but once again, not by as much as you might expect. It's pretty amazing that they sound as they do. They're spacious beyond my expectations, with impressive depth. They do suffer from the brickwall effect, but that's quite forgiveable seeing as they give the illusion of space as well as they do. This certainly qualifies them as being more than competent for film watching or gaming. All things together, the Denon is a fantastic sounding headphone.

Comfort and other ergo-niggles

This is where the Denons flaws really come out of the woodwork, unfortunately.

There's a number of problems with the Denons for me that make them lacking in the comfort department. Coming from the HFI2400, I had become a big big fan of Velour earpads. I just love the way the feel on my skin, and from a comfort and cleanliness perspective they are infinitely superior to (p)leather in my mind. Coming back to the pleather earpads of the Denon reminded me how gross pleather gets and how little it breathes. Your ears are far more prone to getting hot in long sessions, and the material gets oily and gross. A little maintenance goes a long way though, so if you keep the pads clean it's not so bad. This is the least of the Denon's problems, though.

The Denons are heavy, noticeably moreso than previous headphones I've owned. They're listed as being 350g, 60g moreso than my previous most heavy owned headphone of mine, the HFI2400 (which I didn't find to be heavy feeling at all). They're also the largest headphones I've owned. This combination of size and weight doesn't necessarily spell disaster in the comfort department, however I find that the Denons have a pretty low clamp force. Having something large and heavy that doesn't clamp onto your head with sufficient force leads it to feeling quite unwieldy and insecure. I just don't quite like the way it feels, I really miss how comparatively light, compact and secure the Ultrasone felt. The real issue, however, is because the weight is not supported very much by any clamp force it means the headband (and subsequently, your cranium) has to take the bulk of the weight.

This wouldn't be too big of a deal with a light headphone, but since this one is a little on the heavy side, it would need a really superbly comfortable headband to pull this off. Unfortunately, it lacks this very important feature. The headband is desperately under-padded considering the physical properties of this headphone. It's actually very frustrating, I don't know what they were thinking when designing this. It smells to me of cost saving, stingy accountants messing with good design. The headband simply isn't up to scratch, seemingly to favour sleek minimalism over actual ergonomics, and in correspondence with the weight and lack of clamp; the Denons just don't live up to all day desktop comfort requirements. I wouldn't go so far to say they're an uncomfortable headphone, but a hotspot will form on my head well within a couple of hours and make itself quite known. The comfort is lacking enough for my uses that I'm selling them because of it.

The other ergonomic problem I have with the Denon is in relation to durability. I personally haven't have any problems, and I wouldn't expect to since I baby the things that I own (especially my audio gear). To make things clear, I'm not saying that the Denons are poorly built, they're actually very well built. I'm of the opinion that durability absolutely 100% requires good build quality, but good build quality does not 100% guarantee good durability. The Denons seem to have good build quality for the sake of luxurious finishings and quality, not for the sake of being rugged and durable with ability to withstand hard knocks. I have a bit of problem with this. Whilst I appreciate the quality of it all, I feel like I have to constantly worry about them. I prefer having something that I can throw around a little bit more and not need to worry about scratching it up or it breaking a joint if I accidentally drop it.

Conclusion

I feel like I'm starting to repeat myself here, but this is yet another headphone that I really love but the lack of comfort breaks the deal. The build quality is very nice, the sound is excellent, the aesthetics are great but I simply can't enjoy them enough if I can't wear them for extended periods whilst being free from discomfort. I am well aware that these headphones have a very high reputation for being comfortable, so if you find them that way, they are a damn good choice. I've recently sold mine and have a Beyerdynamic DT880 600 Ohm on the way in the mail, which should be better for me with the comfort (velourpads, lighter weight, higher clamp force and better padded headband) as well as far better durability. I hope I like it's sound!

If you can hunt a used D2000 down these days you could be in for a real treat.

I used this phones unmodified for about a month and then put Lawton cups and replacement sheepskin pads on them. I like them better than the Denon 5000 (wooden cups) and the ATH W5000. Unmodified they were good but modified, I think they are hard to beat. The Lawton cups are very tough. My don't have any blemishes despite being dropped on the carpeted floor many times. The Denon D5000 do not sound as good to me and are easily scratched. The ATH W5000 is my most expensive phone and while they are refined, the wood is hard to care for and they are large. Also the wing system of the ATH 5000 (and the other ATH phones that use this system) is very fragile.

The only thing I would disagree about is the cord. I find that mine tend to twist. I still have the plastic cups but hate to replace the wood just for a comparison. But I do think the 2000's are good phones.

I did just check the price for these phones on Amazon and can't believe how much they are selling for now. I guess that is because they are now out of production?????

I just love these cans. They sound amazing and are comfortable to boot. I took one star away from the design, cans this nice should have a removable cord but they are as close to perfect as I have experienced.

I first encountered these headphones in a superstore Germany. After listening in the shop I was blown away, the quality of the sound is fantastic!

When I got back home I tried out loads of different headphones but ended up ordering the Denons. In my opinion the Closed Denons are better than other open headphones (such as the Sennheiser HD650 which is what I almost went for) which i compared it to.

The sound quality is incredible; you'll be able to hear parts in music that you never even heard before.

2 notes of caution, first the cord is very long and thick which makes it difficult to carry round (I had to wrap them with tape). Secondly if you use MP3s you will now be able to tell the difference between lower and higher quality encoding and will want to reimport most of your music collection!!

That aside, I give these a big thumbs up and recommend them heartily!!

The superior headphone housing used in the AH-D2000 to produce high quality sound is made of materials yielding exceptional acoustic characteristics ensuring faithful reproduction of the original sound. Compound metal is used to increase density, making the sound more stable and clear.
Microfiber material has been used to form the diaphragm so that it faithfully reproduces the sonic details and delicate reverberations that occur in concert halls. The size of Microfiber is approx. 1/100 of natural cellulose used in ordinary diaphragms, and its density increases transmission rates.
Optimum acoustic characteristics are achieved by adjusting the sound pressure balance in front of and behind the diaphragm with the Acoustic Optimizer design. To provide a sonically clean performance, a balance of low to mid range frequencies is critical and dynamic clear bass is a must; the Acoustic Optimizer delivers both.
High-quality cables made with 7N-OFC copper of equal lengths for the L/R channels are used to maintain optimum sound quality. A cloth mesh jacket is employed for cable protection and durability, and it is terminated with an aluminum covered connector plug for strength and performance.
A light-weight magnesium frame has been used so that listeners can enjoy maximum comfort during extended listening sessions.